I'm Not A Crybaby! (I Promise)

Getting to Know You

Melanie scanned her surroundings in search of something to occupy herself. Usually, she would retreat to her room and weep herself to sleep, but tonight she was determined to avoid shedding more tears. She had already expended enough of them, and she didn't want to risk becoming dehydrated. Despite the early hour of 8:32 pm, Melanie knew she wouldn't be able to sleep for at least another two hours. As she surveyed the area, she spotted Gerard switching off the lights. Perhaps spending time with him would help pass the time. It could also provide an opportunity to learn more about him on a deeper level than mere surface impressions. Approaching him once he had finished his task, Melanie resolved to make the most of this chance encounter.

"Um, hi," she said, her body tense with the effort of trying to appear calm. She remembered their last conversation and didn't want to come across as nervous or awkward. Gerard turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers with a steady gaze.

"Hey," He didn't seem to mind that she was bothering him, but he was feeling lonely now that Mikey had left the house to hang out with Pete Wentz.

"Can we hang out for a little bit to kill some time?" She asked, trying her hardest not to stumble on her words too much. "Only if you want to of course,"

"I mean I was just gonna work on something... But I figured, y'know, spend time with my new sister and so on.." he shrugged, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

"Can I see what you are working on? Or is that something you like to keep private?" Melanie asked, being mindful of not invading anyone's space as she disliked doing so. Her subconscious warned her not to, as it might provoke anger or annoyance from the other person.

"I mean if you want... It's not private, it's just really dumb.." He mumbled and shrugged, feeling embarrassed to show his comic series to anyone. He enjoyed reading comics but was afraid of his social life being ruined if anyone at school found out he was writing them.

Melanie was curious now and wanted to see. "Now you got me curious," she said. "I want to see now. May I please have a sneak peek? I promise I won't share with anybody," she was good at keeping promises or at least she tried to. As far as she knows, she hasn't told any of her friends' secrets.

"Sure, follow me," Gerard nodded, leading Melanie downstairs to his basement room. He walked over to his desk and pulled out a file labeled 'The Umbrella Academy'. "It's a comic series that I'm working on," he explained, slightly stuttering. Although at first, Melanie was confused by the cluttered room, she quickly realized it was his bedroom. She admired his artwork and character designs, commenting, "Your art is cool!"

Gerard chuckled slightly. "Um, thanks..." he mumbled. He wanted to tell Melanie all about it, his characters, the story, and the powers the characters have... But he didn't think she cared so he shut up.

"What is this story about? A school for kids with powers?" Melanie read the title with interest, curious about the story and the powers of the characters. She was particularly intrigued by the girl in white who had a violin string on her stomach, as well as the one with a gorilla's body.

Upon being prompted, Gerard hesitated slightly before delving into an intriguing tale. As he spoke, he revealed that on a fateful Halloween in 1989, a group of women experienced an unexpected occurrence: the birth of babies endowed with extraordinary abilities. One particular character, Reginald Hargreaves, was utterly fascinated by this phenomenon and proceeded to adopt seven of these exceptional newborns. With steadfast determination, he trained and molded them into a formidable team of superheroes, which he aptly named The Umbrella Academy. As Gerard recounted this captivating story, a contented smile graced his features.

Melanie was captivated by the entire story and found it quite unusual. She had several questions, such as how the women became pregnant, and why Reginald Hargreeves adopted children with powers and trained them to be superheroes. "What's next for them now that they're all grown up?" she inquired while holding up drawings. She examined one of them, which depicted a young boy. "Does his power prevent him from aging?" she wondered.